No Mythologies to Follow
10 March 2014
Chess Club
3.5 stars out of 5
Danish singer Mø
(the pseudonym of Karen Marie Ørsted) presents her first LP of dance
floor-oriented pop, No Mythologies to
Follow, from which half of the material—a whopping six tracks—has already
been released as singles. While musically there are no boundaries being pushed
here, Mø often uses her voice itself in place of keyboards to deliver
additional textures and fills. There are some satisfying contemporary grooves on display, populated with nifty melodic hooks.
From the first couple of minutes of the opening track, “Fire
Rides,” it’s apparent that Mø has a little more going for her than your average
dance popster. Primarily, she has a surprisingly deep and soulful voice for a
Scandinavian. Secondly, she has attitude. Lyrically, this is pedestrian stuff,
but one doesn’t exactly expect one’s dance pop to read like Proust or
Dostoyevsky. The Motown-inspired third track, “Never Wanna Know,” is a low
point, but it’s smooth sailing after that for this Viking maiden. The LP peaks
with “Waste of Time,” a well-penned dark R&B ode to angry resentment that
will have you hitting the repeat button multiple times. “XXX 88,” featuring
Diplo, and “Walk This Way” are both catchy tunes, and the closing song,
“Glass,” floats above the iPod and away into the clouds, leaving behind only
its obscenely memorable hook in your head as you lay yourself down to sleep
after a long day.
I have to admit I was presently surprised by this record, as
my only previous exposure to Mø came the morning after a housewarming party at
my place, surrounded by empty bottles and glasses, eating grapes with my
girlfriend, and watching the video for “Waste of Time” with the sound so low it
was almost off. That video annoyed the shit out of me. Thankfully, the LP is
much less annoying than its associated visuals. If only life were always like
that.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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